Chicago Cubs Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts announced Friday night during the opening ceremony of the Cubs convention that former Cubs catcher Jody Davis and pitcher Jon Lester will be inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame this year.
Additionally, former broadcaster Vince Lloyd will be inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame and receive a “Lifetime Achievement Award,” a new award honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to the Cubs organization during their lifetime. The 2026 Cubs Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at Wrigley Field on a date to be announced later.
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Ricketts said, “The Cubs Hall of Fame committee selected three individuals representing three eras of Cubs baseball, which is appropriate as the team celebrates its 150th anniversary. Jody Davis was part of the legendary 1984 Cubs team that helped create a generation of fans across the country, legions of whom can still sing Harry Caray’s theme song for this enduring catcher who played in the All-Star Game that year. He rarely took a day off to catch and was a badass hit 129 home runs as a Cub.
“Jon Lester was perhaps the greatest free agent in team history. He already had two World Series rings and when we announced his signing in December 2014 as we headed into the 2015 season, it was an inflection point for this team. His leadership helped propel our team to the NLCS that season. In 20216, in Game 5 of the World Series, with his back against the wall, he won victory with a six inning performance that saved the series for us.
“For more than 34 seasons, Vince Lloyd was the “voice of summer” for Cubs fans. From the earliest days of Cubs baseball on television in the 1950s to the 1980s on radio, Lloyd brought Cubs games into homes. The former U.S. Marine brought the “Holy Mackerel” to Jack Brickhouse’s “Hey Hey.” For 23 years on radio, he was the play-by-play voice of the alongside Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau, including during the big runs of 1969 and 1984. Vince’s dedication to his craft in radio made him a family member for generations of Cubs fans.
Davis was a Cubs catcher for eight seasons (1981-1988) and a two-time All-Star (1984, 1986) during his tenure. He was a key member of the 1984 National League East Division championship team, hitting .256 with 19 home runs and 94 RBIs that season.
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Lester played six of his 16 major league seasons with the Cubs, including the 2016 World Series championship team. A fierce competitor and big-game pitcher, he was co-MVP of the 2016 National League Championship Series and a two-time All-Star (2016, 2018). He played on four Cubs postseason teams and will go down in history as one of the greatest free agent signings in Chicago sports history.
Lloyd was a versatile and beloved Chicago sports broadcaster for nearly four decades and served 34 seasons (1950, 1954-1986) as a Cubs broadcaster. He called more than 6,000 major league games during his career, including 5,000 for the Cubs. He began his Cubs broadcasting career on WGN-TV in 1950, broadcasting Cubs home games with Jack Brickhouse. In 1965, he moved to the radio booth to serve as play-by-play on WGN-AM where he spent the next twenty years. He was particularly known for his characteristic call, “Holy Mackerel!” » and for ringing a bell after every Cubs home run. Lloyd died in 2003 and received this honor posthumously.
The Cubs Hall of Fame will now feature 68 plaques representing individuals who have dedicated their time to Cubs baseball, on and off the field. Baseball legends, former players and managers, beloved broadcasters and announcers, team owners and front office executives adorn the walls of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame, immortalized at Wrigley Field since 2021 in the bleacher concourse below left field, open to all fans. The plaques included in the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame represent individuals previously enshrined in the original Cubs Hall of Fame (1982-86) and the Cubs Walk of Fame (1992-98).
